Drive for reciprocating conveyers



R. W. DULL DRIVE FOR RECIPROCATINGCONVEYERS Jul 8, 1930.

Filed Se t. 7, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. w. DULL 770,263 DRIVE F OR REGIPROCATING CONVEYERS Filed p 1926 3 Sheats-Sheet 5 2507" momz? WflzoZZ.

Jun 8, 1%0.

Patented duty 8, 193% outrun stares earner entree ,RAYMOND W. BULL, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LINK-BELT COMPANY,

onIoA'eo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS DRIVE FOR RECIPROCATING CONVEYERS Application filed September 7, 1926. Serial No. 133,970.

My invention relates to improvements in a drive for reciprocatingconveyers, screens and-the like, and has for one object to provide a new and improved type of drive mechanism which imparts to a driven member a reciprocation differing in character on the forward and reverse strokes and wherein a plurality of driven members may be driven from a single drive head and be at all times in sub stantial balance.

ll accomplish this by providing a pair of elliptic eccentric gears, the major diameter of the gears being in one form of the invention but slightly longer than the minor diameter, the eccentricity being but very slight. These gears are in mesh and one or more of the gears carries a shaft with a crank arm, the angular relation of the gears being such that the movements of connecting rods driven by the arms, when there are more than one, may be at all times in opposite phase.

In my preferred form.' the gears which carry the cranks are 'not in mesh with each other but are in mesh with-a similar elliptic gear which does the driving, and there is therefore a central elliptic drive gear in mesh with two opposed driven gears, which gears drive the cranks.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a'side elevation with parts re-- moved and parts in section;

Figure 2 is an end view with parts omitted; Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of igure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the connecting rod;

Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the gears Figure 8 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing the gears and the relationlbetween them and the cranks.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout.

A is a bed plate, A a cover late. Mounted in this bed plate are a plura 'ty of bearings.

The bearings A A carry the drive shaft A on which is mounted a flywheel pulley A This drive shaft extends out to an outer bearing A at a point removed from the drive head, supported by this bearing which carries the load. Rigidly keyed to the shaft A is an elliptic drive gear A B B are bearings for the tail shaft B This shaft carries an elliptic gear B in mesh with the gear A between the bearingsB B At its outer end it carries a crank l8 with a ball pin B upon which may be mounted a sphericalor other bearing B in the endof the end of the longer connecting rod C". Other connecting means, such as cross-heads might be used. l

The ends of each of these connecting rods are substantially identical and are forked as at D. Pivoted in the fork on a pin D is a sleeve 1) integral with the sleeve D at right angles thereto. A pin D in the sleeveD is connected to the conveyer, screen or other apparatus D intendedto be reciprocated by the drive head.

Referring .to Figure 7, it will be noted that the gear is just slightly out of round. For

instance, in one form the long diameter is 2'8 inches, the short diameter is substantially 27% inches. The center of rotationflof the shaft is approximately 2 inches out of center with respect to the center of the gear and located on the major diameter.-

By the arrangement shown the material moves in the same direction on the twoconveyer members driven by the head, but it would be possible, of course, by changing the phase of operation or the direction in which the connecting rods extend to the work to so adjust the device that the material would travel in opposite directions on the two conveyer members, if that were desired. This would result in a decrease in the per cent of balance of the afpparatus'. Under some conditions the sacri ce of balance would be justi-' fied, under other conditions not.

It will be understood, of course, that in the position shown in Figure 8 the longer radius of-the driving gear is working against the shorter radius of the tail gear, and therefore the angular velocity of that gear isat a maximum, whereas the shorter radius of the drive gear is working against the longer radius of the head end gear and therefore'the head end gear angular velocity is at a 'minimum. At 180 from this the relation will have been.

gradually reversed.

Obviously it would be'possible to use only a driving and a driven gear and dispense with the second driven gear and its crank. In this case but a single screen or conveyer could be reciprocated and the machine would then be out of balance, or it might be possible to have two cranks each of themassociated with a single driven gearsay, for instance,

at opposed ends of the gear shaft, although they mightboth be on the same end. Under'these conditions if two-screen conve 'ers are reciprocated; material would trave in" opposite directions along such device because the accelerated motion would be in opposite' directions.

While my device is primarily intended for application to screens, it might equally well be adapted to conveyers, pumps, or any other mechanism where'it is desired to trans late rotary motion to reciprocatory motion.-

I have preferred to show'the ,axes of the 'two driven gears 'in the same plane as the driving gear, but obviously the driven gears may be arranged about the periphery of the driving gear in any desired arrangement. They may be above and below, or they may be separated by an angle of 180 or less'as the case may be, and-t0 get satisfactory operation undersuch conditions it is-' only neces- Qlsary properly to .proportionthe parts and properly to fix-the angular position of the 'driving crank with respect tothe ma or and minor axesrof thedriven gears.

Although I- have shown an operative device, still it will be' obvious that many.

changes might be made insize, shape and arrangement without departing material] from the s irit of'my invention; and I wis therefore t at my showing taken as in a 5 "sense diagrammatic.

I shafts whose axes-are locatedall inthe same "I'claim: 1

1. Theicombination with a'conveyer com-' prisin :a pair of oppositely re'ci rocating genera y orizontal members, 0 drivm means therefor comprising three parall generally horizontal lane and are perpenelliptic gears rigidlymounted-one oneach shaft, the gear on the-central shaft being in mesh with the gears on the other two, cranks spaced 180 in phase carried by the two end shafts, connecting rods leading one from each crank to one of the reciprocating mem- -necting rods leading one from each crank to one of the reciprocating members. A

3. In combination with 'a conveyer comshafts whose axes are located all in thesame prising" a pair'of oppositely recifprocating generally horizontal members '0 driving means therefor comprisinga closed hou ing, three shafts mounted for rotation in isvgid housing and located in a plane parallel 'th the plane of reciprocating of the conveyer,

eccentricgears contained within, said housng rigidly mounted one upon each of saig shafts and so disposed that the ears 0 either two adjacent shafts are a ways in mesh, the central shaft extending outwardly from the housing, means for driving it, the two end shafts extending'beyond the housmg n a direction op used to the central shaft, crank discs carried thereby, connectmg rods and universal connections interposed between the ends'of said rods and the co'nveyer and the discs.

Signed at Chicago, countyof Cook and State -of'Illinois, this 24th day of August,

. RAYMOND w. DULL.

dicular, to the-line o reciprocatiom'means' for the central' shaft, eccentric 

